New Showtime Series to Explore Studio 54

A new dramatic series, Studio, written by Chad Hodge and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, will explore a fictional nightclub much like the legendary Studio 54 of the 70's but is not meant to be a documentary. The nightclub's co-founder Steve Rubell, however, will be depicted in the series,which is in development at Showtime:

"Rubell will be the only real person featured, with the rest of the characters fictional or composites. 'The show is less about the history of Studio 54 than it is about New York in the late '70s, what people were going through, the political and social issues,' Hodge said. 'Studio 54 is the backdrop for exploring that.'...Hodge penned 'Studio' on spec and took it to Zadan and Meron, who had given him his first writing job on their ABC series 'Veritas.' Zadan and Meron, who had gone to Studio 54 with friend Liza Minnelli, loved the idea. 'It really was a time that has never been seen again,' Zadan said. 'Socially, politically, everything about it was unique.' Added Meron: 'It was the last hurrah before the era of AIDS.'...'Studio' also will tap Zadan and Meron's strong musical background. 'Music is going to be a very big part of the show,' Meron said. Because of Studio 54's history of hedonism -- it was notorious for rampant sex and drug use -- Hodge, Zadan and Meron took the project to Showtime, where they felt they could best tell the gritty story."

Bryan Singer is being pursued to direct the pilot.

Related
54 Director's Cut a Lost Gay Classic? [tr]

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Bryan Singer to Cameo in Gus van Sant's Harvey Milk Film?

Bryan Singer, who was working on a competing Harvey Milk film project (The Mayor of Castro Street) when Gus van Sant's Milk sped in into production, may cameo in van Sant's film, Portland's Williamette Week reports:

"In the battle of the gay directors and even gayer projects, score one for Portland’s own Gus Van Sant , who has extended an 'olive branch' to Bryan Singer —the X-Men director he beat out for the biopic on San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. Singer himself is expected to make a cameo appearance in Gus’ film, Milk, about the life and death of the 'Mayor of Castro Street.' When asked to confirm, Van Sant said he had his fingers crossed that Singer will join his cast. 'We hope so,' Van Sant told WW in between takes on the San Francisco set. 'He said that he will, but scheduling is hard.'"

Last we heard, Singer's project was looking unlikely to come to fruition.

Recently
Milk Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black Spills [tr]
Josh Brolin on Tackling the Role of Milk Assassin Dan White [tr]
James Franco Hangs on to Milk Mustache [tr]
Milk in Action on Castro Street [tr]
Sean Penn and James Franco as Lovers in Milk [tr]
Milk: The Transformation of Castro Street [tr]

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Singer's Harvey Milk Film in Jeopardy as Van Sant's Gains Steam

The Mayor of Castro Street, the long-in-development film about SF Supervisor Harvey Milk which is the second of two films in development about the gay rights pioneer, looks less and less likely to be a reality as Gus van Sant's competing production start date of January 22 quickly approaches.

One half of the producing duo behind the Singer project, Craig Zadan, expressed dismay to website Film Stew, and also broke the news that the project was to be the first major crossover dramatic role for actor Steve Carell:

"Bryan was supposed to direct The Mayor of Castro Street immediately following Valkyrie. And out of the blue, Gus Van Sant came along with another Harvey Milk script. So although we have been working on this movie for 16 years, where finally we found the moment in time where we got the right script, the right director and even - we haven’t really discussed this – shall we say, interest in the movie from Steve Carell to play Harvey Milk… Once we started thinking about it [the idea of Carell as Milk], we thought, 'Wow, that’s a great idea.' “So we were all primed to make it; Warner Bros. was primed to make it; and, in theory, we would have been going into production right after the writers strike. But now, with the Gus Van Sant movie going ahead [Milk, with Sean Penn in the lead role], nobody wants to have another situation like Capote. They [Van Sant, Focus] haven’t starting shooting yet, so anything can happen. But the handwriting is on the wall that if they go into production and start shooting, we won’t get to make our movie."

Last week, I reported that preparations were already well underway by the Milk team to transform San Francisco's Castro district back to the way it was in the 70's by performing a cosmetic facelift that would return classic gay bars like Toad Hall to their original sites.

Got Milk? [film stew]

Recent spilled Milk...
Gay San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano to Join Milk Film [tr]
Castro Street to Undergo "Time Warp" for Milk Biopic [tr]
Exclusive: Inside Harvey Milk's Castro Street Camera Shop Today [tr]
Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco Sign on to Milk Film [tr]

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First Look: Tom Cruise as a One-Eyed Nazi

Tom Cruise plays Col. Claus von Stauffenberg in Valkyrie, a German officer who leads the resistance charge to assassinate Hitler.

Via Rope of Silicon: "The 'July 20 Plot' on Hitler's life is one of the most heroic but least known episodes of World War Two. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler's once he is dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation's government ... He must kill Hitler himself."

Bryan Singer is directing the film, slated to appear in theaters just over a year from now.

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News: Zac Efron, Gay Games, Ft. Lauderdale, Barbra Streisand

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, under fire from gays for his proposed "robotic toilets", attacks gay and lesbian library: "Naugle said Tuesday he's not going to apologize for his comments about gay sex in bathrooms, or gay people being unhappy. But he did say he was 'impressed' with the number of 'happy homosexuals' in his city. 'If I've learned one thing through this,' he said, 'it's that there are a lot of happy homosexuals in Fort Lauderdale.'"

Aaron Eckhart suffers for his craft: "I had to pretend that my nuts hurt, so I put a clothespin on my nuts. Otherwise, you’re just learning your lines and saying them. There’s no art in that. People say, ‘Why do you want to put a clothespin on your nuts?’ You know why? Because that’s what I do for a living."

Zac Efron to star in remake of Footloose.

J.P. Morgan analyst retracts "iPhone Nano" report.

Breaking tradition, Chicago declares 2006 Gay Games a financial success: "In 2003 when we launched the bid to host the 2006 Gay Games, we promised our local LGBT community, the City of Chicago, and the worldwide LGBT sports movement that the 2006 Gay Games would break even financially. We also made the commitment to leave a lasting and positive legacy for future Gay Games hosts - a sound business model upon which future Gay Games could be built. We are proud today to have fulfilled those promises.

"Landro" said to be "just friends"?

Bryan Singer's close collaborator, screenwriter Michael Dougherty (X2: XMen United, Superman returns), talks movies: "Watching a lot of movies as a kid, watching a lot of t.v. I grew up on the 80s when cable had just come onto the scene, so you know, they were digging deep into the libraries and digging out all these old movies and t.v. shows. So every day I was watching Twilight Zone episodes, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, old B&W monster movies, just constantly being barraged by so many different genres of film -especially horror films. It seemed like cable was really big on putting horror films in there. So in a very short time period I was being exposed to the very same horror films and shows that my Dad grew up with. Oh, and old horror comics. Like 'Creepy' and 'Eerie' were huge for me."

New Florida group raises $1 million to fight proposed amendment banning gay marriage: "By focusing on the ban's potential repercussions for live-in partners -- instead of on the polarizing question of gay marriage -- opponents are trying to duplicate their success last year in Arizona, the first state to reject a same-sex marriage ban."

Live from Manchester, Barbra Streisand's diva demands: "Waiting for her backstage were five fabric-upholstered furniture suites, 60 tables and 120 bath-sized towels. Even the security staff were immaculate in the 'dark jackets, blazers or sweaters with no T-shirts' that she requested."

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Singer and Van Sant Vie to be First with Harvey Milk Film

We've seen it before with Armageddon and Deep Impact (killer asteroids), then again with Capote and Infamous (Truman Capote). Now, slain San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk is the next subject to be tackled with dueling films, and according to Variety, two well-known directors are racing to get them into production.

Bryan Singer is attached to direct The Mayor of Castro Street for producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who hope to get the film underway soon despite Singer's July commitment to a project called Valkyrie. Said Zadan: "We're seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel. Warner Independent is pushing us to get the film made right away. Some of it might have to do with the enormous success of 'Brokeback Mountain,' and some of it is passion for the right tone and the story we are telling. [Screenwriter Chris McQuarrie] has nailed the take, and the goal is to have the script ready so that we can make the movie as soon as Bryan finishes his UA film. We've had tremendous response from actors."

Gus van Sant has reportedly attached himself to a Milk script by Dustin Lance Black, as yet untitled, which they are planning to shop to studios next week. Variety notes the irony of Van Sant's situation, as he was once attached to direct The Mayor of Castro Street, which has been gestating for 15 years with various people attached.

At a moment when gay rights are at the forefront of political discussion, the time is certainly ripe for a Harvey Milk picture. The dramatic story of the first openly gay elected official in the United States who was shot and killed along with Mayor George Moscone by fellow supervisor Dan White is not only historic and tragic, but has all the elements to tingle both the box office and awards committees. And Milk's tale as a political figurehead could not be more deserving of a retelling on film.

Anyone who has seen the amazing documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk" and witnessed (or perhaps remembers) Dianne Feinstein emotional announcement that Milk and Moscone were shot and killed before a cadre of reporters knows what I mean. If you haven't seen it, put your request in to Netflix now.

Here's some background on Harvey Milk for those unfamiliar. A bust of the gay rights pioneer is scheduled to go on permanent display in City Hall in 2008, on what would have been Milk's 75th birthday.

And, not that i'm biased or anything, but does anyone else think Jake Gyllenhaal would be great in this role?

Dueling directors Milk a good story [variety]

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Harvey Milk to get Bust at San Francisco City Hall [tr]
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News: Hitler, Tom Cruise, Naomi Campbell, Apple TV

GLAAD taken to task by Here! Networks for policy of excluding gay media from its award ceremonies. Letter: "We believe that all gay media companies should be allowed to submit work for consideration. That collective group of LGBT voices in print and online journalism, radio, television, Telco, podcasts, and videocasts are quite literally changing the world. The New Gay Media has grown, matured and in many cases is taking the lead on groundbreaking points of view, yet GLAAD remains entrenched in old "mainstream" thinking."

New photoblog Shorpy features images from 100 years ago.

UK House of Lords set to debate rules requiring religious agencies to accept same-sex couples as adoptive parents.

Simon Cowell's package reportedly not a British landmark. A Socialite's Life: "On Monday night's airing of The Late Show With David Letterman, American Idol judge Paula Abdul revealed an unfortunate nickname for her colleague, Simon Cowell. When Letterman asked Abdul, 'You honestly hate Simon, don't you? He's smug and he's arrogant. And he thinks you want to have sexual activities with him,' Abdul responded, 'You are right about that. But that will never happen - because his nickname is 'Small Ben.'' We look forward to hearing what Cowell's nickname is for the former pop princess."

Pete Doherty drops trou for French magazine.

Major Indiana employer comes out against gay marriage ban: "The Columbus engine-maker [Cummins, Inc] said the measure would make it harder to recruit good workers and give the domestic partner benefits it now offers its employees."

"World's first supermodel" banned from fashion show for bad behavior.

Naomi Campbell turns community service into a fashion statement: "Yesterday at 8 a.m., the catwalker - performing her court-ordered community service - strode into the Pier 36 Sanitation Department in a Chanel cap and $1,000 Christian Louboutin boots, her work shoes slung over the shoulder of her $1,500-plus Azzedine Alaia coat. The penitent prancer could have bought two years' worth of gear for the price of her outfit. Sanitation employees are given a $900 yearly uniform allowance, which they use for things like shoes, vests, shirts and gloves. But instead,Campbell dressed for a fashion show, not a day mopping floors and scrubbing toilets."

Apple TV, which will allows users with iTunes to watch movies, listen to music, and view photos on their televisions by sending them wirelessly from their computers, is shipping and the first reviews are in!

Director Bryan Singer and Tom Cruise attempt to assassinate Hitler in new film.

Human rights activists urge go-ahead for Moscow Gay Pride parade.

Andy Roddick: I touch myself.

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News: Angry Ultra-Orthodox Jews, Madonna, Erection Deflation

Des Moines Register op-ed on Brian Kinchen's "so gay" sportscasting comments: "The editorial gets it. Too many people don't, including certain football analysts. The expression can be so easily misinterpreted or misused. To an insecure kid, gay or straight, 'so gay' often means 'such a loser' or 'I hate gay people.' It becomes an acceptable slur, if there is such a thing. So much easier on the ears than 'faggot' or 'dyke.' The 'so gay' expression is like illegal fireworks - lethal in the wrong hands. In the schools and on the playgrounds, it's almost always in the wrong hands."

BldgBlog celebrates micro-utopias on the open sea.

George Michael claims he has no gay fans on Brit TV special: "I don't have many gay fans. Gay fans are only interested when you're 'in the closet'. Once you're out, they don't give a toss."

In "one of the most violent demonstrations in the city in recent times," ultra-Orthodox Jews set trash cans ablaze and threw rocks protesting plans to hold a gay pride parade in the city of Jerusalem: "Protesters wore torn burlap sacks, resembling those worn by the bereaved of their community, and held signs saying 'Jerusalem won't be Sodom and Gomorrah,' referring to towns the Bible says were destroyed by God because of their residents' sinful ways." Ultra-orthodox Jewish groups recently claimed that gays were the cause of Israel's war with Lebanon. The pride parade is planned for mid-November.

Bryan Singer to direct Superman sequel.

Madonna and adopted child arrive in New York to hit the talk show circuit.

Gays on Wall Street losing fear of leaving the closet: "Firms have started catering to their gay employees partly because of the potential for lawsuits. Diversity departments first cropped up on Wall Street in the mid-90s, after the class-action cases at Smith Barney Inc., which was later acquired by Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch, in which female brokerage employees said they'd been harassed and were denied promotions. The Smith Barney suit, nicknamed for the 'boom-boom room' in the basement of a branch office where women were allegedly subjected to lewd partying, grew to include more than 20,000 women."

Tom Cruise's wedding planner called Along Came Mary. I'm just sayin...

Kinsey study: Condom use leads to erection "deflation".

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News: T-Mobile, Johnny Depp, Superman, Cyndi Lauper...

Following pressure from the anti-gay American Family Association, T-Mobile has pulled ads from two FX channel shows: "The move appears to be another victory for Wildmon's group, which has made a habit of going after advertisers in shows that offend its sensibilities. In the case of the two FX shows, the AFA has complained to advertisers supporting the programs that that the shows are 'over the edge in sex, violence and profanity.'"

He came from the mist...

Too gay? Filmmaker Kevin Smith says Bryan Singer's Superman not gay enough: "You look at the X-Men movies and it's an allegory for what it's like to be gay, like, if you take the word 'mutant' out of that movie and stick 'gay' in, the movie still works. I was really looking forward to him doing the third one because it would be an out-and-out gay fantasia - I was hoping that the dude would go for a kind of Brokeback Mutant kind of movie, but he opted to do Superman. I thought he'd make a really gay Superman but he didn't; it was more JESUS' Superman... - a lot of Messianic poses and what not and I was hoping for a little more gay action."

Cyndi Lauper, Mayor Daley wrap up Chicago's Gay Games for crowd of 20,000+. Sun-Times: "The event belonged to one singer, however. The entire crowd was silent as a violinist, dressed as Abe Lincoln, began to play the opening notes of Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colors.' Proving she is still so unusual, Lauper entered barefoot from the dugout, dressed as the Statue of Liberty wrapped in the rainbow flag and carrying a torch. She ended the set by telling the crowd to 'stand tall and together pass the flame on.' It was the kind of high note you wish the games had begun with."

Orlando Bloom on his Pirates co-star Johnny Depp: "He is always trying to kiss me. I'm like, 'No tongue!'"

Gay soldiers live life of secrecy and isolation within the Canadian Forces. Soldier: "I am part of a same-sex common-law couple within the Canadian Forces, and after declaring common-law status, I found that my situation is very common across the Canadian Forces, although many couples prefer to remain in silence about their relationship and lifestyle. From personal experience, I know there are young soldiers who feel they don't belong, and there are no resources within the military community or the Family Resource Centre to reach out to them."

Richard Hatch has been sent to a federal prison in Oklahoma while serving his 51-month sentence for failing to pay taxes on his $1 million Survivor winnings. Hatch Lawyer: "He should be in a camp. The camps are the most comfortable of the uncomfortable. They are still jails, but they get to see the sky and be outside. It's bad for Richard, who is an outdoor person."

Father and son taking Jack Twist's Brokeback truck, the one sold at auction, on tour of Alberta, Canada where the movie was shot.

Chicago radio DJ told Jody Watley she was not to speak about the Gay Games during a radio interview, despite the fact she was in the city to perform at them.

AfterElton profiles Rex Lee, who plays Jeremy Piven's assistant on Entourage: "Even now, I'm on this show, I play a gay character, I talk about being gay in real life. But I'm shocked at how many people don't get it. They're like ‘Hey! Bet you're really reeling in the women now that you're on this show!' And I'm like, ‘Do you live under a rock?'"

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Bryan Singer: Superman is Not Gay

Warner Bros. must be really worried about how Superman's gay image will affect box office if they're sending Bryan Singer out to make statements. The director came out late last week and said that Superman "is probably the most heterosexual character in any movie I've ever made."

The studio doth protest too much. As does DC Comics: "Paul Levitz, president and publisher of Superman owner DC Comics said: 'We were all scratching our heads. He's not a gay character.'" I haven't read a single story that has said that Superman is gay, but there's no denying that the character, with his secrets, his tights, the fuss about the size of his package, his jazz hands, and his co-stars, gives off a distinctly gay vibe, and what's wrong with that?

Warner Bros. should just shrug off the worry and move on. They're only fueling the gay flame by allowing the movie's gay director to continue commenting on it.

Superman 'Not Gay' Says Director [bbc]

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